If you have any information that you would like to keep or refer to in the future please can you copy and paste the information to a format suitable for you to save or take screen shots of the questions and responses you are interested in.

Don’t forget you can still use the rest of the forums on theTes Community to post questions and get the advice, help and support you require from your peers for all your teaching needs.

As this is a virtual setting there are no HS considerations and there are smoking and non-smoking rooms available with tea, coffee, chocolate, savory snacks and alcohol. No one needs to worry about calories or hangovers or fumes in the virtual support group. Although aimed at the lonely inde people all are welcome as we all need support.

They are very rational and really I don't get the sense that ISI want t find lots faults. Our consult session made it claer that they ssee it all as peers assessing/inspecting peers. As for outdoor, it is a biggie. We have spent some PTA money on easy to move waterproof items (TTS are good). We've a porch built and although share the small playground with the whole school we have statred to find a way to get outside. We've set up an art easel outside, sand/water tray, chalkboard, giant snakes and ladders kit. We've spent time getting the kids interested in items and caring for them. One of us works outside when children are there. Are there any simple indoor classroom activities you could slpit between your TA and yourself and take outside? Clipboards are great for the children to work on as well as whiteboards. You can always do the reading outside. Would school object to this? You can do workbooks outside using clipboads (I know they are EVIL and all who promote them should be banished or shot but some of us have to use them and strangely enough most of the children I've worked with love...). Do Have any spare tables? Think of it as having a conservatory! I'm sure other indies with the same constraints will have suggestions.

Sorry to all about last night's long ramble but it actually helped. I had a calm and rational chat with our DoS and I hope he now understands what I need from the school and did give some very clear cut examples so I may have bored everyone else to sleep but it did get it out of my system. If anything useful comes out of this which I can share(as in a policy doc or guidance) I'll let you know and possibly upload it.

Dear Mac, you are a big help to me at the moment as I am finding my feet in inde. I have so many ideas and what I believe to be 'good practice' that I want to get going, but hardy dare because I worry that it is not the 'done thing.' HT very supportive of idea of outdoor learning and I do have access, but nursery doesn't. (Although I have plans!!) Just keep telling myself that if they learn to read and write, count and problem solve, parents will be ok - so just trying to fit this into all areas. However finding PSED is what we need most work on at the mo! Please keep posting. Cx

Celestine hopefully if anything this can be a sunding board or a virtual padded cell where someone might have some thing other medication to offer. If we all pool ideas somehow we should all be able to find rational approach! Can you and your nursery work out a rota for sharing your space? It's starnge because the PSE strand is the one I find is the weakest in our school..

Gosh mac, not used to people coming to me for technical advice re ICT.

Yes, I found out how to play with the star award in a bored moment and got a bit trigger happy.

See if I can remember- you sort of hover over the stars at the start of the thread and they become blue and then I think you click on the amount you want and the results of the jury are registered.

However once you have clicked you can't click again if you change your mind, excepy by logging our and on again. So whilst you experiment you might find your self awarding nil points when you meant cinq points.

However if somebody else gives a higher or lower vote after you, the bluestars on the forum thread alter accordingly.

Think this just might have earned me an early learning goal in KUW.

I think this a cinq point threa myself!

I have been reading your current concerns mac and I am thinking of you.

Just wanted to report that I went to SEF training. I was told that we don't need to fill in Ofsted sef, but I am assuming we will need to do some sort of self evaluation, and that any ideas on the kind of evidence to include would be useful. I felt the training was useful. What I would like to know is, if indes are to have 5 day notice EYs inspection, when do you think we might have sight of a SEF for indes? Has anyone any thoughts? Thanks.

Hedda your ict skills have been awarded with many stars but I sort of meant the child/space ration thingy but the star info is great!

Celestine we were told that we would have to do a SEF by ISI woman and yes 5 days notice. If you whole is being inspected then you might included at the same time or you might not. We got the impression that they would always try to combine but.... The Reprting inspector for a whole school inspection would be with the two whole do the EYs bit. The report would then be added so that's why they would try to keep them as close as possible as it would mean holding back a report. I think the ISI has a SEF on it's website. Hedda gave some great info a few months back and all that she pointed out was pointed out by the ISI woman who came to us. Things are still to vague to be pinpointed. If I hear anything I post it here. Our school is due to be inspected in May09 so the process has begin and the pre-inspection visit is a big part of it but I don't know when that's happening so it could be some time before we have any word or not! Who knows????

Hello all.....I'm <u>so</u> glad I've found you! I'm FS co-ord in a small inde and ( pls pls don't take this the wrong way!) glad to hear that everybody else is feeling as wobbly as I am at the minute with EYFS.

We were lucky enough to have a fantastic Ofsted in May - lucky because I understood what I was talking about back then! I now feel as if I'm talking rubbish half the time.......and I wouldn't mind but I've been doing this for the past 15 yrs so I thought I knew what I was doing.

I work with a great team and understanding HT, but I do feel that the spotlight is on me to decipher the gibberish a bit, and consequently spent FAR too long over the summer doing school stuff.

How is everybody doing with allowing them to wander far and wide, initiating as they go whilst meeting parental expectation of reading by Christmas??!!

I feel that wrongly or rightly that some things are best taught indoors. I don't struggle to teach subjects outside if I feel that it is more effectively taught inside. They can't hear me outside and it just seems crazy to teach aspects of cll and psrn . As our head wanated to say to the advisor, if you have to put up a gazebo to shelter from the rain or sun-doesn't that tell you that yo are better off inside?

A colleague has spent ages twisting plastic bags round fences to make numbers and attaching letters to trees to please advisors. The advisors love them- the children ignore them - and senior management think they look a mess!

Yes we do have a lovely green outside area but it is not attached to the room - so it is all out or all in. We have developed the outside resources for all areas of learning, but , hand on heart , we have only done just enough to keep the LEA of our backs. The rows of wellies and sunhats are evidence we go out each day in all seasons. It looks good and is planned for but in reality , although it looks good on paper and we have evidence of it taking place,- in my opinion this has not enhanced teaching and learning.

I think that in Inde that the direct teaching aspect is valued and expected by parents and that I am a more effective resource inside. This does not mean that we do work sheets or our day consist of directed sessions in cramped conditions inside the building.

Yes the children enjoy being outside- but they enjoy the space and freedom to use htose gross motor skills anad experience the physicality of using the bikes and climbing equipment. These are the learning opportunities wE

I feel that wrongly or rightly that some things are best taught indoors. I don't struggle to teach subjects outside if I feel that it is more effectively taught inside. They can't hear me outside and it just seems crazy to teach aspects of cll and psrn . As our head wanated to say to the advisor, if you have to put up a gazebo to shelter from the rain or sun-doesn't that tell you that yo are better off inside?

A colleague has spent ages twisting plastic bags round fences to make numbers and attaching letters to trees to please advisors. The advisors love them- the children ignore them - and senior management think they look a mess!

Yes we do have a lovely green outside area but it is not attached to the room - so it is all out or all in. We have developed the outside resources for all areas of learning, but , hand on heart , we have only done just enough to keep the LEA of our backs. The rows of wellies and sunhats are evidence we go out each day in all seasons. It looks good and is planned for but in reality , although it looks good on paper and we have evidence of it taking place,- in my opinion this has not enhanced teaching and learning.

I think that in Inde that the direct teaching aspect is valued and expected by parents and that I am a more effective resource inside. This does not mean that we do work sheets or our day consist of directed sessions in cramped conditions inside the building.

Yes the children enjoy being outside- but they enjoy the space and freedom to use htose gross motor skills anad experience the physicality of using the bikes and climbing equipment. These are the learning opportunities wE

I feel that wrongly or rightly that some things are best taught indoors. I don't struggle to teach subjects outside if I feel that it is more effectively taught inside. They can't hear me outside and it just seems crazy to teach aspects of cll and psrn . As our head wanated to say to the advisor, if you have to put up a gazebo to shelter from the rain or sun-doesn't that tell you that yo are better off inside?

A colleague has spent ages twisting plastic bags round fences to make numbers and attaching letters to trees to please advisors. The advisors love them- the children ignore them - and senior management think they look a mess!

Yes we do have a lovely green outside area but it is not attached to the room - so it is all out or all in. We have developed the outside resources for all areas of learning, but , hand on heart , we have only done just enough to keep the LEA of our backs. The rows of wellies and sunhats are evidence we go out each day in all seasons. It looks good and is planned for but in reality , although it looks good on paper and we have evidence of it taking place,- in my opinion this has not enhanced teaching and learning.

I think that in Inde that the direct teaching aspect is valued and expected by parents and that I am a more effective resource inside. This does not mean that we do work sheets or our day consist of directed sessions in cramped conditions inside the building.

Yes the children enjoy being outside- but they enjoy the space and freedom to use htose gross motor skills anad experience the physicality of using the bikes and climbing equipment. These are the learning opportunities wE

I feel that wrongly or rightly that some things are best taught indoors. I don't struggle to teach subjects outside if I feel that it is more effectively taught inside. They can't hear me outside and it just seems crazy to teach aspects of cll and psrn . As our head wanated to say to the advisor, if you have to put up a gazebo to shelter from the rain or sun-doesn't that tell you that yo are better off inside?

A colleague has spent ages twisting plastic bags round fences to make numbers and attaching letters to trees to please advisors. The advisors love them- the children ignore them - and senior management think they look a mess!

Yes we do have a lovely green outside area but it is not attached to the room - so it is all out or all in. We have developed the outside resources for all areas of learning, but , hand on heart , we have only done just enough to keep the LEA of our backs. The rows of wellies and sunhats are evidence we go out each day in all seasons. It looks good and is planned for but in reality , although it looks good on paper and we have evidence of it taking place,- in my opinion this has not enhanced teaching and learning.

I think that in Inde that the direct teaching aspect is valued and expected by parents and that I am a more effective resource inside. This does not mean that we do work sheets or our day consist of directed sessions in cramped conditions inside the building.

Yes the children enjoy being outside- but they enjoy the space and freedom to use htose gross motor skills anad experience the physicality of using the bikes and climbing equipment. These are the learning opportunities wE

I feel that wrongly or rightly that some things are best taught indoors. I don't struggle to teach subjects outside if I feel that it is more effectively taught inside. They can't hear me outside and it just seems crazy to teach aspects of cll and psrn . As our head wanated to say to the advisor, if you have to put up a gazebo to shelter from the rain or sun-doesn't that tell you that yo are better off inside?

A colleague has spent ages twisting plastic bags round fences to make numbers and attaching letters to trees to please advisors. The advisors love them- the children ignore them - and senior management think they look a mess!

Yes we do have a lovely green outside area but it is not attached to the room - so it is all out or all in. We have developed the outside resources for all areas of learning, but , hand on heart , we have only done just enough to keep the LEA of our backs. The rows of wellies and sunhats are evidence we go out each day in all seasons. It looks good and is planned for but in reality , although it looks good on paper and we have evidence of it taking place,- in my opinion this has not enhanced teaching and learning.

I think that in Inde that the direct teaching aspect is valued and expected by parents and that I am a more effective resource inside. This does not mean that we do work sheets or our day consist of directed sessions in cramped conditions inside the building.

Yes the children enjoy being outside- but they enjoy the space and freedom to use htose gross motor skills anad experience the physicality of using the bikes and climbing equipment. These are the learning opportunitie